Chapter 47
About fifteen minutes had passed since we waited at the main gate.
Karl, now changed into fresh clothes, asked me with a sigh,
“So, what is it this time?”
“You’ll see when we get there.”
I didn’t explain further and climbed into the waiting carriage.
I motioned for Karl to get in, and he reluctantly took the driver’s seat.
“Then, let’s go!”
The carriage moved quickly as the driver shouted, leaving the main gate behind.
I stared out the window, lost in thought.
‘What if Eren really is a beastman?’
It didn’t matter much whether Eren was a beastman or not. That wouldn’t change who I knew him to be.
The problem was the other beastmen around him.
‘…I hope they’re not planning anything bad.’
The wounds I had seen on Eren’s body last time and the fact that multiple beastmen were in the capital made me uneasy.
‘This feels very wrong.’
At that moment, the carriage slowed as if we had reached our destination.
“We’ve arrived,” the driver announced.
I quickly cleared my thoughts and stepped out of the carriage.
‘…Yeah, the security here really doesn’t look good.’
Dilapidated buildings, unkempt streets, and poorly dressed people made it feel far from the central city.
Karl stepped down beside me, calm as usual, though his hand rested on his sword—a hint of tension.
“We’ll go to the inn here,” I said, handing him the paper Eliot gave me.
We got off slightly away from the inn to avoid drawing attention.
“Let’s go.”
I led the way while Karl followed a step behind. Curious eyes followed me wherever I went. I ignored them and headed toward the location on the paper.
Finally, we arrived at a run-down inn, its exterior as worn as the surrounding buildings.
As soon as I opened the door, a gruff man approached—probably the innkeeper.
“All the rooms are full… look elsewhere—”
“Wait, is there a handsome man staying here?”
I interrupted him, pulling a small pouch of coins from my pocket.
The sound of coins clinking made his eyes light up instantly.
“…A handsome man?”
“Yes. About this height, red hair, green eyes.”
After giving the rough description, the man immediately replied,
“Second floor, end of the corridor.”
I tossed him the pouch and said to Karl,
“Let’s go up.”
The stairs creaked as we climbed to the second floor. The corridor was just as shabby as the inn’s exterior, but it was easy enough to find Eren’s room.
The problem was the man guarding the door.
“Who are you?” he asked, suspicion heavy in his tone.
I stopped Karl from stepping forward and met the man’s gaze.
“I’m here for Eren. He’s in that room, right?”
The man’s expression darkened.
“There’s no one like that here, so leave…!”
Then a voice came from behind the closed door.
“Princess? Are you out there?”
I widened my eyes in surprise.
“…Lilia?”
Why was Lilia here?
“I said the person you’re looking for isn’t here…!”
The man froze, startled by her voice.
I gestured to Karl with a glance.
“Handle him.”
Karl nodded slightly and grabbed the man by the collar when he tried to intervene.
I quickly opened the door and stepped inside.
“…What are you two doing right now?”
A few hours earlier.
“This woman’s interrogation is yours, Eren. You’ll do it yourself.”
Berlrot left, claiming he had other matters. When the door clicked shut, heavy silence filled the room.
Eren let out a small, bitter laugh and wiped his face. Lilia, silently observing, bit her lip.
She struggled to free herself, but her strength alone wasn’t enough. Thick ropes would need at least something sharp to cut. Unfortunately, there was nothing in the room she could use as a weapon.
‘I shouldn’t have been caught like this.’
She should have run when she sensed something was wrong. Meeting Berlrot’s gaze had frozen her, leaving her unable to resist.
‘How many beastmen are here, anyway?’
She had already seen at least ten. It wasn’t normal for so many to gather in the capital, unless someone like Berlrot had deliberately called them.
‘Looks like he’s the leader of this beastmen underground group.’
All signs pointed to Berlrot being the head: his appearance, the way other beastmen treated him.
“Hey.”
Eren’s low voice called her. Lost in thought, Lilia finally looked up at him.
“From experience, it’s better to cooperate quietly.”
He had moved to the bed and spoke quietly, his face tired and serious.
“And if I don’t cooperate? Will you kill me?”
Lilia deliberately provoked him, testing his reaction.
“Whether I kill you or not isn’t my choice.”
Eren smirked coldly and came closer. Lilia instinctively tensed, ready to defend herself.
Surprisingly, he didn’t attack. He reached for the ropes instead.
After a few tugs, the previously tight ropes loosened and fell to the floor.
“…Huh?”
Lilia blinked, stunned to find herself freed.
“You just… untied me?”
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I didn’t do it out of kindness.”
Eren picked up the ropes and asked in a low voice,
“…You… did C.C. send you?”
Lilia froze. Only one person could be called “C.C.” by Eren.
‘So he thinks the Princess sent me.’
Technically correct—Cynthia had asked Eliot to send her—but it wasn’t a good idea to say the Princess’s name in front of other beastmen.
‘I’ll just play dumb for now.’
“Who is this C.C. you’re talking about?”
“…Doesn’t matter if you don’t know.”
Eren smirked, satisfied.
“Of course. She wouldn’t have sent a beastman anyway.”
Lilia’s ears twitched at the tone of his voice—it sounded bitter.
‘…He must be a beastman too.’
A faint scent of a beastman clung to him, barely noticeable but definitely there.
‘He must have used ghost herbs to mask it.’
Lilia glanced around. If he had, there should be traces somewhere in the room.
Eren returned to the bed, indifferent to the rabbit before him, paying little attention to whatever she did—until she touched his desk.
